Collar support



July 1943.

. DES JARDINS COLLAR SUPPORT Filed Dec. 21. 1942 Patented July 20, 1943 UNITED sTA s PATENT OFFICE",

COLLAR SUPPORT Wilfrid Des Jardins, Fullerton, Calif. Application December .21, 1942. SerialNo. 469,650

Claims. (o1. 2 141 This invention relates tocollar supports, and more particularly to the provision of an auxiliary coupling or tying means for holding, of the collar fold, or portion, in position and for maintaining the tie or cravat in position in such manner as also to maintain the edges of the collar fold in the desired position at the neck band fold.

In the use of collars many types of means have been provided for maintaining the collar fold in position and for holding the loose ends of the V V collar from turning upwardly.

band I which is separated and is adapted tobe secured together at its separated ends by means maintain the tie or cravat in position with respect a to the neckband and collar folds.

Another object of my invention is to provide a soft collar supporting means which is adapted to cooperate with the tie or cravat to support the same and in such operation to act to maintain the folds of the collar in the desired position.

Other objects and advantages of this invention it is believed will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a shirt or soft collar having incorporated therein the supporting means embodying my invention and illustrating the collar fold as turned upward- 1y, with the supporting means illustrated in disconnected position.

Figure 2 is an elevation similar to Figure 1 illustrating the supporting means as releasably fastened to the collar folds.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the collar and supporting means embodying my invention illustrating the same in the position of actual use and illustrating the position of the tie or cravat with relation thereto.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of a modification form of supporting means embodying my invention. 7 r

In the preferred embodiment of my invention the soft collar may be of any suitable or desirable construction which usually includes a neckof asuitable fastening member 2. The. neckband is connected in any suitable 'manner with a collar fold 3, the connection usually being by stitching the collar fold 3 to the neckband I at a connecting stitching indicated at 4 which likewise'forms the point from which the collar portion is folded over the neckband in the position of wear as illustrated in Figure 3. The collar fold is, of course, of the separated type providing the collar ends 5, which in position of wear are separated to provide the space for the reception of the tie or cravat 6.

In most soft collar constructions it is desirable to have the edges 1 and8 meet above the fasten- "ing member 2 and many collar designs are suchv that it is intended that these edges meet above the cravat or tie.

The collar supporting means embodying my invention includes a pair of supporting or tying members 9 and [0 which are formed of any suitable material, preferably of a non-elastic charac- At the ends of each tie member 9 and In there is a suitable releasable fastening member as indi-' cated at I l which is adapted to be releasably connected with a mating fastening member 12 secured to the under portion of the collar. fold. While I have herein illustrated such fastening members II and I2 as being of the snap type, it is of course appreciated that any other suitable type of fastening member may be employed such, for example, as the hook and aperture type of fastening commonly employed as a releasable connecting means.

The tie members 9 and H] are preferably of equal length and arefixed to the soft collar at the stitching or foldline 4 where the neckband is joined to the collar band 3, it being contemplated that the tie members will be. secured in position during the same operation as is used to secure the collar fold to the neckband l. The tie members 9 and it! are of a length sufficient to permit the same to be crossed at the aperture between the ends 5 of the collar fold 3 and have their free ends releasably secured together by means of the fastening means II and I2, thereby providing a form of sling for supporting the knot I4 of the tie or cravat 6.

It is not the intention of this invention to have the members 9 and I of a length which will actually operate to pull the ends 5 of the collar 4 together without the knot I 4 of the cravat 6 being supported on the sling provided for the crossing of these tying members.

I have found by utilizing this construction that the weight and body of the knot I4 acting in conjunction with the crossed tie members 9 and I0 operates to place a tension upon the separated portions of the neckband I and against the folded portions or ends 5 of the collar fold 3, with the result that due to this cooperating effort the free ends 5 of the collar fold are held down by the pressure exerted by the tie or cravat 6 with the result that the two edges I and 8 of the collar fold at the neckband I are brought together.

I1; is believed apparent from the foregoing that it will be seen that by utilizing the weight and bulk of the cravat and its knot that I avoid the use of positive tying members which, due to their definite length, require the collar folds to be held in a certain position or which, due to their elasticity, maintain a definite tension upon the collar folds 5.

In assembling the collar support embodying my invention, it is preferable that the tie or cravat be placed around the neckband, that the fastening 2 be utilized to join the free ends of the neckband, that the collar fold be turned down at the position indicated in Figure 3, that the two fastening members 9 and I0 be then crossed under the free ends of the cravat or tie and connected at the reelasable fastenings I I and I 2. When thus assembled, the tie or cravat is tied and the act of tying the tie and forming the knot I4 will then draw the collar folds 5 in their correctly held position with the edges I and 8 brought into a position where they approximately meet. When thus assembled, I have found that the collar will remain in this position as long as the tie remains in place.

In the modified form of my invention as illustrated in Figure 4, similar parts have been indicated by similar numerals with the addition of an exponent a thereto.

This modification of my invention differs from that illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, principally in reversing the points of connection of the fastening members 9 and ID with the collar fold and neckband. Thus in this modification the fastening members 9 and It! are rigidly afiixed to the neckband below the neckband fastening member 2 while the opposite or free ends of said supporting members are releasably fastened to the collar folds 5 above the neckband fastening means 2*. In this way a sling for supporting the knot of the tie or cravat is provided in the same manner as in the previously described model of my invention and the same effect is obtained, i. e., of supporting the tie and of causing the edges I and 8 of the collar to be drawn together. In both the modifications embodying my invention the effect is to place a tension due to the weight of the cravat which causes the collar sections to be rotated around the axis provided by the fastening member 2 in such manner asto bring the edges I and 8 toward each other while at the same time acting to hold the collar folds 5 down against the neckband. In each of these modifications the crossing of the supporting members at the neck aperture of the collar provides a sling upon which the knot of the tie or cravat is supported, thereby maintaining the same up toward the top of the collar and toward the edges 7*- and 8 to prevent the tie or cravat from slipping down.

In describing my invention I have utilized the term soft collar. This terminology is used only for the purpose of differentiation as between the type of collar now commonly employed, which may be said to be generally composed of a neckband and a collar fold and which may be of the type either attached to, or detached from, a shirt, but which is different from the older styles of collar commonly referred to as stiff collars. As here utilized the term soft is not intended to differentiate between the amount of starch or other stiffening agent used in the laundering of collars.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a soft collar having a neckband and a turned-down collar portion, the neckband being separated and adapted to be secured together at its separated ends by a fastening member, of a pair of strip-supporting members secured in position at the juncture of the neckband andcolla portion, releasable fastening members secured to the turned-down collar portions and to the free ends of the supporting members, and the ends of said supporting members being crossed in position over the neck band fastening member and releasably secured to the opposite collar portion whereby a sling is formed for supporting a cravat knot. V

2. In a soft collar having a neckband and a turned-down collar portion, the neckband being separated and adapted to be secured together at its separated ends by a fastening member, of a pair of cravat-supporting members secured in position at the juncture of the neckband and turned collar portion, the cravat-supporting members being formed as strips having releasable fastening members at their free ends whereby the said strips may be crossed between the free ends of the collar portion to form a cravat sling as said free ends are releasably secured to the collar portions on opposed sides of the neckbandfastening member.

3. In a soft collar having a separated neckband and a turned collar, the combination of a pair of tie-supporting bands having their ends secured at approximately the point of fold between the collar portion and neckband, said tie-supporting bands having a releasable fastening, means at their free ends whereby they may be releasably secured in crossed position to the opposite collar fold to form a tie-supporting sling.

4. In a soft collar having a separated neckband and a collar fold, a pair of tie-supporting bands having their ends secured at approximately the fold of the collar portion with respect to the neckband, one on each side of the neckband separation, the supporting bands being of a length sufiicient to permit their being crossed at the collar opening and releasable fastening means at the end of said bands whereby each band may be secured to the collar portion obposite to its point of connection with the collar whereby a sling is formed from a oravat, the knot of which will be supported by said sling and will cooperate therewith to exert a pressure on said supporting bands to hold the collar. in position.

5. In a collar having a neckband and a turned collar, the combination of a pair of tie-supporting bands having their opposed ends secured to 

